Adventures outside Ann Arbor

Where to start? For the past week, I’ve been staying with a cousin (my first cousin once removed, on my dad’s side of the family) in Standish, a tiny rural “village” in the west of England. Today I fly home out of London Heathrow, back to the familiar streets of Ann Arbor and the well-known terminals of Detroit Metro Airport. A few days ago I was in London; a week ago I was leaving Germany to start this next and final leg of my travels. There’s still so much left to say.

In this trip, I did as much as I possibly could, spending a day in France, a beautiful weekend in Italy, and many days practicing and solidifying my German. This week, I’ve done my best to cope with the subtle differences between American and British English, and I saw as much of London as could be packed into three days there. I met up with an exchange student I knew from my freshman year of college, and crashed in an American friend’s hotel room with about a week of advance planning. Everything came together perfectly, and all at the last minute, as things tend to do.

This trip has had so many ups and downs, and has challenged me and forced me to grow in so many new and different ways. I could have easily passed these months in Ann Arbor—instead, I’ve had the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve built new connections here, and worked with those I had. And—I’ll miss it. The friends I made and met up with here, the international nature of Europe as a whole, the chance to speak high-level German on a daily basis. I wish it didn’t have to end.

Never fear, though—there are travel grants and unique course offerings at my University that may be just what I need to get myself back over the Atlantic sometime in the coming year. I don’t know exactly what’s waiting for me when I get home, but I know there’s still plenty to be seen in the States. And whatever else happens, now that I’ve had a taste of Europe—even just a small one—I know one thing for sure. I AM coming back.

Okay, enough with the sentimental rambling. Here are the photos of England that you’ve all been waiting for!

Another goal of mine has always been to learn French, but, even more than that, to visit the country. My family traces its roots back all over Europe, but I identify myself most closely with the French side of things. This was a milestone I needed to clear while I was here, and especially since I was already so close to the French border…

Mannheim’s really not that far away!

Today, I made it happen. Together with four of my fellow students at Goethe, all of whom were willing to face a pretty early start-time, we passed some pleasant morning hours on two trains that brought us across the border.

Into. FRANCE!!!

From the tiny, charming, historic town of Wissembourg, we hopped onto a bus that took us up into the mountains, past rolling valleys, pastures of sleepy cattle, and purple vineyards. Our real goal was not just to say that we’d made it to France, but to actually see something there—namely, a beautiful and ruined castle called Fleckenstein.

From the minute I saw the trailer, I HAD to make this trip happen! (Video courtesy of Fleckenstein’s website!)

The castle featured lots of stairs, stone with curves where the water had worn it away, and railed platforms where we could climb up and stare out at mountains, mountains, MOUNTAINS.

Everywhere I looked, I found something beautiful.

This must have once been a tower!

And these MOUNTAINS…

Once we’d seen all there was to see there, we grabbed a bite in the castle’s café and spent a little time exploring the nearby hiking trails, which also featured plenty of climbing rocks—and intrepid climbers! Upon arriving back in Wissembourg, we wandered downtown, just to see what we could find.

The answer? One of the most picturesque places I’ve ever gotten to explore.

The town square was full of activity…

The church was quiet and cool and beautiful…

There were flowers everywhere we looked…

I had the best cheese of my LIFE, for FREE!

And of course we ate some CAKE!!

We could easily have passed the whole afternoon in Wissembourg, and then some, but due to the timing of the trains, we had head back after only an hour or two. Still, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. It was just a brief glimpse across the border, but it was enough! (And by that, I mean, enough to make me want to come back.)

Always in search of Nia, I decided to opt for some time in Heidelberg this morning, instead of going to class. Mistake? Maybe…especially since I hadn’t written ahead to check on the location and time with the teacher, which has been the only way I’ve had success doing Nia so far.

But sometimes you just have to go for it, you know? Just get on the train and DO IT!

In search of adventure (and Nia, of course), I found what I thought was the right address, but…no one seemed to have heard of it! I interrupted a yoga class, and quite possibly a counseling session, plus generally walked around looking lost.

Lucky for me, the day was beautiful, so I wasn’t too sad about having missed out.

With my second destination—the city library—in mind, I wandered slowly in that direction…

Stopping to look out over the river, of course! These mountains—aaah.

The library didn’t look like much from the outside…

But trust me—inside, it was GREAT!

After a few hours pleasantly passed on art and a sad minimum of homework, I decided it was time to head home. I took a Straßenbahn—street car—instead of one of the regional trains, opting for the longer but more scenic route!

And it was certainly scenic!

Certainly not the worst way I’ve ever spent a Wednesday…But depending on my energy level (and what my homework looks like), I may well be going in search of more Nia tomorrow afternoon!!

I’d originally planned to go to Cologne and Berlin this weekend, to visit some friends I met during high school, when they were studying in the U.S. Due to scheduling difficulties and expensive tickets, though, I opted to stay home. Instead of venturing clear across the country, I hopped on a tram across the river. It was time to explore our neighboring town of [Ludwigshafen]!

The annual ,,Fesitval des deutschen Films” takes place here—this year’s runs from June 15-July 3, and my teacher had recommended it highly to us. After meeting up with a classmate and her friend, and doing a little window-shopping and browsing in a TK-Maxx (a brand that you can only find in Europe!!), we stopped for lunch!

It was my first time eating Chinese in Europe, and it was DELICIOUS!Thanks to my amazing classmate, Kleina Sun, for the photo ❤

Then on to the film fest, of course!

We watched a complicated romance about a couple who shrug off their married lives to be together, before later leaving one another. It was a little hard to follow and not quite what we’d had in mind, but the neat thing was that most of the film had been shot in Mannheim! I recognized just a couple of landmarks—otherwise, it really showed me a different side of the city. So cool!

In search of yet more Nia, I took another trip out of Mannheim this afternoon, making the trek to the somewhat-nearby Mosbach.

Into the Odenwald!

The train ride was LONG going there and back, but I like long train rides—they give me a chance to knit and listen to music and organize my thoughts. Aside from that, I barely ever travel by train in the U.S., so it’s always a nice change of pace.

I’m trying to get better about using directions and finding my ways around places I don’t know, as there have been plenty of times when I’ve gotten lost or wound up in the wrong spot. My strategy now is to photograph everything, as soon as I can…

Maps, train schedules, landmark buildings, you name it!

The Nia class was, again, one of the more amazing ones I’ve ever done, though I may have enjoyed it more if it’s hadn’t taken me QUITE so long to walk there.

Once I heard the music pouring out, though, I knew I’d found the right place!

The teacher gave me a ride back to a nearby train station, saving me a lot of walking and probably an equal amount of time being lost. I was a little sad I didn’t have more time in Mosbach, to explore properly…

Everything was so picturesque!

On the ride back, I got a couple of pleasant surprises—first, a glimpse at the castles I visited almost a month ago, on a weekend in May. What a cool feeling, to look up and recognize that mountain!

I’ve BEEN there!!

Next, and perhaps even better, was the rainbow that arched right across our train tracks!

Perhaps it was the Universe letting me know it was happy that I’d done Nia?

Well, after an exciting and drama-filled reunion at the youth hostel where we’d arranged to stay the night, my travel companions and I started off the day with a delicious—and complementary—breakfast. Our goal food-wise was to eat some Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Torte cake) by the end of the day, but before that, our goal travel-wise was to pay a visit to the namesake of that most-delicious of treats…

That’s right—we were headed for the Schwarzwald itself!

My phone/camera was, unfortunately, very out of battery today—guess I used it up listening to music in the library yesterday—but it was honestly a bit refreshing, being cut off from the need to constantly take photos.

Despite that, I did get a couple of nice shots from our cable car on the way up!

Hello, The Schwarzwald! Hello, mountains! Hello…France?!

After a bit of hiking, we arrived at a beautiful observatory tower, where we braved the climb to the top despite one girl’s fear of heights. From there, we found ourselves looking down over blowing banks of fog, driven by rushing wind through beautiful, dense thickets of pines. Even though the day wasn’t clear—what a view!

Although we hadn’t hiked for very long at that point, we were all more than ready to call it quits and head back down the mountain. I’m not sure why, but everyone was extremely exhausted all day—myself included! Lucky for us, we had a recommendation for a spot where we could find the ultimate cure-all: CAKE. And not just any cake…

Despite all the ups and downs, the getting lost and putting my fellow travelers through a lot of unnecessary worrying, it was a pretty satisfying trip! And most important of all—I can now say that I’ve eaten Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in Germany. I mean, clearly that’s been right at the top of the bucket list all along!

You know that moment when you’re traveling with a group, and then you turn around and find your group isn’t there anymore? Well, that happened to me on Saturday afternoon. My newfound friends (mainly other German students from U of M, and one girl’s hallmate) had spent the morning on an ICE train from Mannheim, and the lunch hour doing—what else?—eating lunch.

Anytime there’s pesto, you can believe that’s what I’m going to order… 🙂

After that, we strolled through the Augustinermuseum, where we saw some absolutely beautiful works by a Dutch painter who worked in the 1800s.

They. Were. AMAZING.

A little later, while I was busy and distracted with reading a sign in some really tough German…

My friends ditched me! Can you believe it?

To be honest, though, I wasn’t too disappointed to suddenly find myself alone. There’s something quite nice about traveling by yourself—in a big city, in a small town, whatever.

You get to take your time…

…to stroll…

…and you see things you might not have found otherwise.

Not sure what my friends got up to all afternoon—quite possibly, they spent the time looking for me—but I passed the afternoon in the lovely University library, right next door to the city’s theater and, like, ice cream. Don’t worry, I restrained myself…

If you’ve read any of this blog, you probably know by now that Nia is one of my favorite things. What is Nia, you ask? That’s an excellent question that can really only be answered with the experience of doing it yourself. It’s part yoga, part martial arts, part healing arts, part dance. It is always pleasure in movement and 100% FUN!

Since arriving in Mannheim, I’ve been in email contact with a Nia instructor in the area, and when she invited me to do Nia tonight, there was nothing I could say except OF COURSE. After the adventure in Karlsruhe, getting picked up from a train station seemed too straightforward and sensible to pass up—and aside from that, it was just REALLY time to do some Nia.

So, with my goal in sight, I set out!!

The train transfers there and back went over without a hitch, and I arrived home feeling like a new person. That’s the greatest thing about Nia for me—the way it can refresh you on so many different levels. It doesn’t matter how much time passes between sessions—Nia always makes me feel whole again.

Thank you, Gerda, for giving me an amazing way to make the most of a Thursday night! I would love to dance Nia with you again.

Something that I’ve wanted to do since arriving in Germany has been to dance Nia. Just one time would be enough, I figured, but I had to make it happen. Today, after a lot of late-night Internet searching and planning on Google Maps, I decided to go for it—there appeared to be TWO Nia classes on Wednesday afternoons in Karlsruhe, and it’s not all that far away…

Right?

The train ride went smoothly, and the city was quite beautiful—but, unfortunately for me, there was no one at the Dojo when I arrived. After some more Internet searching, I learned that the 4:15 class doesn’t start until September! This discovery prompted further exploration of the city, since I had nothing else to do until 6pm, when the next Nia session was supposed to take place. But it wasn’t all bad—I saw a lot of pretty buildings, spent some time in the public library, and strolled through a really lovely city park!

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Turns out what I’d hoped was an afternoon Nia session was actually a 90-minute “yoga” class, but one that involved a lot of deep breathing and slow, gentle movements. On the dark blue mats of the studio, in the soft glow of pink salt-crystal lamps, with birds singing outside and rain pouring down onto green leaves, I spent a couple of the most relaxing hours I think I’ve had since coming to Europe. All in all, the adventure was totally worth it!

I’m still determined to find some Nia, though.

Xoxo,

Susan

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About Me

Hi! I'm a college student and a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, studying German and many other interesting things at the University here in town. I love to write, read, draw, and sometimes play video games, but my favorite things ever are cooking, eating, and taking my dog on walks. I'm a Leo, and summer is my favorite season!! And I can't WAIT to discover some of Europe this May and June.